Pau (Finish)
by itsasham
Summary: Steve is dying, and calls Danny with his last breath. Steve whump, Danny Angst, basically no plot. Not a deathfic.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first Five-O Fanfiction, kind critiquing is welcome! Let me know what you think, I know it's short, but there will be another chapter. Thank you for reading!

* * *

Steve McGarrett stares at the ceiling, pain consuming every nerve ending, every thought, his vision slowly fading away. Sweet nothingness. He hears it calling his name, he welcomes it. But something pulls at him, a thought, a name. Something he has to do before he leaves this world. _Danny_. Blood slick fingers struggle to grasp his phone, wait, where is his phone? Steve forces his eyes to focus as he sees it, to far, he thinks as his eyes drift closed.

 _No! You have to call him! You have to apologize!_ The SEAL peels his eyes open again, a new found determination burning through his veins. He rolls onto his stomach, his cry of pain muffled by blood suddenly running from his mouth. He opts for the left arm, deciding its less damaged, and begins dragging himself to the small black device, a blood trail in his wake, something attached to his left ankle dragging along behind him. Fiery pain up and down his whole leg. He coughs and grunts as he reaches the phone. _More blood. Where did that come from?_ With sudden desperation he dials.

"…hell you doing calling me at five thirty in the morning you neanderthal?…. Steve?"

Something jolts him back. _Huh. You must have dozed off. Must be bad then.  
_

"Dan-no.." The plea is broken and barely audible before his voice is cut off by more blood, making an awful choked, gurgling sound.

"Steve. What's wrong? Where are you?" Steve can hear the increased note of worry in his partners choice, fine layer of fear beneath the Jersey accent, squeak of a bed as he sits up.

"Hurt. Bad."

"Where are you, Steve? What happened? No screw it, don't talk, just stay awake, I'll get Chin to track your phone. Babe, you hear me? Stay awake."

"Won't make it, Danno. I'm sorry you got mixed up in all of this. Tell Grace I'm sorry I won't make it to her science fair."

"No, Steve, don't talk like that, we will make it. Just stay awake, don't fade on me now, SuperSEAL." The worry is more intense, fear thicker in the struggle to keep his voice steady.

"Love you, Danno…."

The blood slickened phone falls from Steve's grip as he collapses, satisfied he can leave this world now.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow! I was absolutely blown away by the response the first chapter, thank you for your kind responses!

First, This took longer than I anticipated. My apologies! Second, this is not what I originally planned for this. I wrote what I envisioned last Sunday, and wasn't satisfied with it and let it sit for a few days. At some point, this wandered in and took residence in by brain, and while I like it better than the original, I'm not sure if I'm completely satisfied with it. Lastly, I've never written anything like this, so if it's completely off (especially the end, I'm nervous about that part), it's my own fault. Let me know what you think, I welcome constructive criticism! Also, there is a spoiler in this for season 2 finale and season 6 episode 4(?) :)

Disclaimer: I own about as much of Hawaii Five-0 as the chances of Danny and Steve getting married at the end of the season.

* * *

Waiting has never been Danny's strong point. He always prefers ranting, it's easy, you just throw everything out there, ease your tensions through the volume level of your voice. Waiting is just that, waiting. Waiting for Chin to track the phone, waiting as he drove to a small, crummy warehouse on Sand Island. Waiting for the ambulance.

Something deep in his subconscious tells him that he will never be able to forget the image of his friend, his brother, lying on the cement floor, a chair still cuffed to one ankle, right hand mangled and broken, a pool of his own blood surrounding him. His memories are snapshots after that, kicking the gun away from the body of a man, likely deceased. Glancing at the body of a woman in Halawa orange, also deceased. Rushing to Steve, checking for a pulse, putting pressure on the wounds on his chest.

The blood had been the worst, hours and ten hand washes later he can't seem to shake the feeling that his hands are coated in it.

Even now, in the private waiting room Danny, Kono, and Chin were ushered into, he can't stop pacing. His feet and legs have a mind of their own as they carry him back and forth across the pristine white linoleum of the hospital floor, hands rotating between fisting in his hair and his shirt.

He doesn't count the minutes, hours, until the doctor returns. Just stops his pacing as Kono and Chin come and stand next to him.

"Family of Commander McGarrett?" The surgeon asks wearily, facial expression neutral.

They nod, "How is he doing Doc?" Chin questions, concern evident even in his voice.

"He's stable." The doctor motions to the chairs, raising his eyebrows when the team just shakes their heads, waiting.

"He's going to make it right?" Danny grounds out, his voice steady by shear force of will, because Steve has to make it, he doesn't let himself think what might happen if he doesn't.

"The Commander suffered a concussion from blunt force trauma to the back of the head, two broken ribs, three broken fingers, left thumb was dislocated, and he was shot in the left ankle. That is all on top of the three knife wounds to the abdomen, which nicked a lung and punctured the spleen, the last managed to miss any organs, but he lost quite a bit of blood." The doctor sighs, "The next 24 hours we will keep a close eye on him, but unless there are complications with anything, he should make a full recovery."

The team nods, Chin wrapping an arm around Kono's shoulders.

"When can we see him?" Danny asks, his voice rough with emotion.

"Currently he is being situated in a private room in the ICU, I'll send a nurse when they are finished, it shouldn't be long." The doctor stands, pushing the chair back towards the table and bidding his good byes to the burnt out team in front of him.

—

"Duke finished clearing the scene, remember Dawn Hatfield?" Chin says as way of greeting.

Danny thinks, shifting in the uncomfortable excuse for a chair and switching the ear his phone is held to, "The crazy jihadist nut from two years ago?"

"Yeah, she escaped from prison last night, and went straight to McGarrett's according to traffic cams. Somehow she and her accomplice managed to get the drop on him and then took him to that warehouse. From what HPD can tell, they were just out for revenge."

Danny runs his hands through his hair again, fisting his hand in frustration, "Do they have any idea what happened, how Steve got away?"

"For whatever reason they uncuffed his right hand and ankle" Chin hesitates, then continues, voice laced with anger, "they probably thought Steve was out and were dumping his body. He ended up with a gun, which is when he presumably got shot, and took them both out before calling you."

Danny stands, fueling his nervous anger into pacing around the room.

He hears Kono on the other end "I wish one of them would have been left alive, that way we could have made the bastards suffer."

"How is he doing anyway?"

Danny knows Chin's quick change of subject is to take the focus off of what happened, frankly, he doesn't have the energy to mind.

"Better, Doc says the vitals are rapidly improving now that he has made it past the 24 hour mark, he should wake up soon."

"That's great, Kono and I have a some paperwork to finish here at the office and then we will be back, keep us updated if anything happens?"

"Of course, Chin. See you then."

Danny sighs as he ends the call, body and mind both exhausted, reeling from the explanation of what happened. He looks over at Steve, before setting his coffee back down and grabbing the SEAL's un-casted left hand. _Come on, man, wake up already._ The doctor had explained that there was no reason for concern yet, after everything he had been through, he just needed time to rest. It still unnerved Danny though, his partner was so full of life, always in action, and seeing him motionless, the faint rise and full of his chest and steady beep of the heart monitor the only signs of life was disconcerting. The stark contrast on his pale skin and bruised face, jolting at first glance.

Danny wants to be mad to him, wants to hate him for calling him when he was dying to tell him he loved him. It didn't feel like the normal "love you's" they throw at each other. It felt more like a dying confession. If he thinks about it, Danny feels the same way, known he has felt like this for awhile, he has just never known how to act on it, never known if Steve felt the same. But this, this changes things. Steve told him the truth, but only because he was dying. When he wakes up is he going to act on it, or ignore it? Should Danny act on it and tell Steve himself? Danny has been careful, knows he hasn't given any tells of how he truly feels, what he truly wants. And if this means what Danny thinks it means, so has Steve, keeping his emotions tightly boxed up and labeled "Private. No trespassing" in big, bold letters. But now that Danny knows, he can't help the way his heart flutters a bit, can't help that he wants to kiss Steve the moment he wakes up.

—

Consciousness comes back to Steve slowly, a tingling numb sensation in most of his body, dryness in his throat, a weight on his left wrist. A confusing mix of sounds and sensations that only seem to encourage the blackness to return. _Wait. Aren't you supposed to be dead?_ Even with his brain numbed and cloudy, he can piece together the sound of a heart monitor, the smell of antiseptic. _No. Not dead. Hospital, Danny made_ it. Motivated, he begins to peel his eyelids open, wondering what they must be pumping into him to make them so heavy. The world is blurry, but it isn't hard to recognize the blond mop of hair, and blue eyes meeting his. The face breaks into an instant smile.

"You, my friend are a jerk. Two days. Do you now what this level of stress can do to a body in two days? Bad things. Stomach ulcers are not fun, Steve."

Danny's voice is upbeat and carries none of the malice of his words, Steve tries to respond, but his throat is dry and swallowing is hard enough. Danny seems to realize this, and is there with a spoon full of ice chips. The cool moisture is welcome, sending alertness down through his body, suddenly waking him up faster than he would have liked.

"N..not a jerk." His voice is gravely and hoarse.

"Actually, you are, even unconscious you are still trying to put me in the grave, if not from a bullet, then from the stress of my best friend almost being taken out by crazy jihadist's."

Steve grunts in response, the newly awakening pains in his body a friendly reminder of those crazy jihadists. Danny leans over him, pressing the nurse call button. He's still smiling, a different smile than Steve has seen before. He decides he likes it.

—

Steve smirks, nodding along with something Danny says. He's not completely paying attention, knowing it has something to do with the amount of sand Grace tracked in after going to the beach, dove tailing into a rant about the excessive amount of sand in Hawaii. He almost wants to laugh, because it's just so _Danny._ It doesn't matter the situation, he is always there, always ready to rant, always ready to keep him thinking about something else. It's been Danny keeping him company the most, in the two days since he woke up Chin, Kono, and even Grace have come by multiple times, almost never leaving him alone. Even with the constant vigilance, he has had plenty of time to think, mostly about what he said to Danny.

He's known for months that he wants more with him, and as skilled as he is at reading people, Steve knows Danny doesn't feel the same. They are partners, and Danny's made no indication he's looking for more, so Steve's kept silent, not jostling the friendship they have, convincing himself that he can be happy with just this. Shoving his wants and desires to the back of his mind. Danny is happy, Steve is mostly happy and he decides he can live with that, knows it is better than telling Danny the truth and destroying their relationship. He's had enough heartbreak, between His mothers return from the dead and Catherine leaving him, he's not sure if he could survive Danny leaving him too. And he was fine, until Dawn Hatfield waltzed back into his life and he thought he was dying, and suddenly he couldn't stand Danny not knowing.

Since he woke up they haven't talked about, Steve's not sure if he want's too. A slight part of him hopes Danny thought it was just a normal thing. They have told each other before, so why should this be different? The rest of him is sick of waiting, not knowing.

Steve reaches for him, grabbing his hand with his good arm as he paces by the bed, Danny pauses mid sentence,

"What are-"

Steve cuts him off, pulling him closer and putting his casted hand awkwardly on the back of his head, pulling until their foreheads touch, Danny steps closer as their lips collide. They slant together, gliding over each other, Danny fists one hand in Steve's hair, grabbing his hand from his arm and holding them between them, the kiss building with pent up desire as chapped lips bite desperately against soft ones. Danny exhales into Steve, his breath tasting of coffee, and malasada's, and cafeteria sandwiches. Steve is grateful that they removed the nasal cannula and heart monitor yesterday, as Danny's tongue dances around his own. He doesn't pull back until his chest burns and bruised face throbs. He smiles, resting his cheek against Danny's, feeling the blond mirror the action against his own cheek. Definitely worth it.

"Danny, when will you just learn to shut up?"

* * *

Well... what did you think? The episode Dawn Hatfield is from is 4x20. She and Steve were going back and forth the entire episode, and I got the I-would-be-willing-to-toture-for-revenge vibe off of her.

Originally, I only planned for 2 chapters, but I got a idea for a cute little fluff scene that will probably be around the length of the first chapter. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

First of all, sorry, this took way longer than it should have (blame chemistry homework if you feel so inclined). Second of all, sorry, for the time that this took it should be better and longer, but you know, c'est la vie.

* * *

When Steve walks into his house upon his early release - the doctors had finally gotten sick of him prodding them, so with instructions to keep an eye on him, Chin had driven him home - he doesn't expect to find Danny sitting on his couch with a sleeping Grace curled into his side, her science fair poster board sitting on the coffee table.

Danny brings a finger to his lips, lifting his arm from around Grace in invitation. Steve struggles over, made awkward by the sling around one arm and crutch in the other.

"So this is why Chin willingly let me go in by myself?" He near whispers as he settles himself on the couch, resting his good arm around Danny's shoulders, casted leg propped up on the table.

"Grace wanted to show you her project, so I called to see if you hadn't busted yourself out and what do you know, Chin told me you had. Someone had to make sure you didn't do anything stupid.

"I take it the science fair went well then?"

"She got first in her class, but you didn't hear that from me.

Steve nods, remembering all the hours spent with materials spread out over his kitchen table, Grace pouring over the information, making sure her board was perfect.

"That's great, she earned it."

Danny leans his head on Steve's shoulder, careful not to jostle his partner's tender ribs.

"When do you think we should tell the rest of the team and Rachel?"

"I feel like Chin and Kono already know, but I'm fine with telling them as long as you are."

Danny nods, smiling, feeling warm and comfortable now that Steve is back and safe. He presses a soft kiss to his shoulder. When Danny responds "love you, babe" he doesn't need to look to know Steve is smiling goofy-smile-number-three.

* * *

Well, that's it. Constructive criticism is welcome :)


End file.
